Hawaii Department of EducationNews Release
HONOLULU — The U.S. Department of Education has announced Hawaii’s school accountability and improvement system, Strive HI, has received a full three years of unconditional flexibility from provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

“This announcement truly honors the progress and hard work of Hawaii’s school leaders and educators,” stated Kathryn Matayoshi, superintendent of the Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE). “This continuation of our ESEA Flexibility Waiver allows us to stay the course with the Strive HI system.”

Previous federal approval of the state’s plan to track and measure school effectiveness were conditionally approved for terms of one year. This marks the first time Strive HI has been approved for a full term without conditions.

The Strive HI Performance System was first approved in May 2013. It is a culmination of work by Hawaii educators, parents, community groups and higher education professionals. It replaces NCLB’s most ineffective and outdated components with meaningful benchmarks aligned with goals of the Department/Board of Education State Strategic Plan.

It was approved for a one-year provisional term, and again in 2014. Over the past year, HIDOE has held discussions with stakeholders on necessary changes based on faculty feedback.

Based directly on input from principals, the Department has worked to improve the Strive HI Performance System.

Under the Strive HI Performance System, the Strive HI Index serves as a diagnostic tool to understand a school’s performance and progress and differentiate schools based on their individuals’ needs for reward, support and intervention. The Strive HI Index includes several indicators to measure achievement, growth, readiness and achievement gaps.

HIDOE received federal praise for its focus on alignment in its reform efforts and internal system processes.